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Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture

Zoila Airall, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs for Campus Life

Diversity and Inclusion are values critical to Duke University. We are a community of students, faculty and staff of different demographic backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, income level, gender, sexual orientation, and religion. As educators we understand the importance of preparing our students to become members of a global citizenry whose workforce becomes more interconnected and interdependent with each new generation. In Student Affairs, one of our four strategic goals is to provide education in cultural competency so that students gain a consciousness, information and knowledge about world-views and perspectives different from their own. The opportunity to develop what many refer to as cultural fluency enables students to communicate, interact and engage effectively with people different from themselves.

In Student Affairs we are very fortunate to have an amazing team of skilled educators who staff our cultural centers to provide an array of educational, cultural and social programs and services that help foster healthy community engagement among an incredibly diverse student population. Located across the three campuses, students typically connect to these cultural centers through interest or identity. The seven centers are: Center for Multicultural Affairs, International House, Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, Center for Jewish Life, Center for Muslim Life, Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity and the Women’s Center.

Students have the opportunity to sharpen their cultural fluency skills in their residential communities, classrooms, athletic competitions and musical ensembles on campus, as well as study abroad and Duke Engage opportunities around the world. As educators we see the ways in which students are more willing to collaborate across differences and the ways in which these collaborations promote greater capacity for creative thinking and numerous possibilities for exploration and innovation. We know that Duke students will be among the world’s most culturally competent leaders because they will know how to excel and thrive in a fast paced world of new ideas with interesting people in locales here and abroad.

Zoila Airall
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs for Campus Life

My real hope is that the world changes for you, but if it doesn’t, I hope I can teach you how to cope.

I hope you love yourself

You do not have to look like Beyoncé, get accepted into all of the Ivy Leagues, or be a CEO by the age of 12 to be excellent in your Blackness. You can do all of these things, but you will be exquisite and worthy of love no matter what. In a world that tries to tell you that every facet of who you are does not measure up, I hope you have a radical self-love.

I hope you know you can be and do whatever you want to do

Often times, people try to jam Black women into boxes. One is labeled good, smart girl, and the other is labeled twerking, ratchet girl. You can be both. You can be neither. You can be one or the other. Whatever you choose does not take away from your worth or your intelligence or your beauty.

I hope you know that “You’re not like the rest of them” is not a compliment

Black women are an integral part of this country’s history, Black history, and your family’s history. Their minds, bodies, and spirits have made movements, scientific discoveries, communities, families, and they have survived interlocking systems of oppression. You want to be just like that.

I hope you know how to stand up for yourself and others that are marginalized

I hope you protest (***WARNING**** this is probably the only thing I will bail you out of jail for). I hope you occupy buildings. I hope you write to your representatives. I hope you are present in the spaces where decisions are made and speak up. I hope a thread of social justice runs through your life in some way at all times. Most importantly, I hope you know that standing up looks like self-care sometimes. Audre Lorde said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare”, but she also said, “Your silence will not protect you”. I hope being silent about oppression makes you uncomfortable. In the midst of life, I hope you learn to balance those two things.

I hope your White washed history classes don’t get to you

Your Black womanhood is not a hindrance. It is an asset. Just because we are not in the history books does not mean we didn’t make history. Your teachers also may try to convince you that slavery, colonization, segregation and other forms of outright oppression were necessary. Never, ever accept that. Challenge them, challenge the class, and if those don’t work, tell me.

I hope you never question the necessity of HBCUs

Whitley said it best, “No other place will teach how to know yourself and love yourself like [an HBCU]”. People ask me all the time what was different about Spelman. I try to put it into tangible things for them. For you, I will say what it really was. Spelman is the kind of place where you get built, nurtured into something beautiful. Duke is the kind of place where you get broken, and you then have to figure out how to rebuild and make yourself into something beautiful. In a world where Black children are being broken by poverty, families broken by incarceration, and subpar education, we need places that take the time to build them. I hope you agree. I really hope you choose Spelman, because I truly believe that no other place will teach you how to know yourself and love yourself like Mother Spelman.

Finally, I hope you don’t become bitter

Living life being pressed from every side and being acutely aware it is happening from the micro aggressions of your peers to the macro aggressions of a racist and sexist society is exhausting. You will know the crimes this country has committed against people of color and women here and abroad. You will understand the relationships between power, privilege, and systems of oppression. Sometimes, this will overwhelm you, but I hope it never drowns out your faith in humanity. I hope you understand the worst of humanity but believe in its best.

Don’t worry these are just a few of my hopes and dreams for you. I haven’t figured all of the things on this list out, but that’s why you’re here. My only real hope is that you are better than me, that this life and this world seem kinder somehow.

The Black Student Alliance Invitational (BSAI) is a four-day event on campus for prospective students that identify as Black. The weekend is filled with exciting events that enable the prospective students to experience many facets of the college experience. I was lucky enough to attend this event last March. Now that I work at the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, the center that sponsors the event, as well as am a co-chair of one of the planning committees, I cherish my memories of BSAI even more.

My first day at BSAI, I arrived at Duke and got to meet my host, whom I instantly had a connection with. I also met a girl who is now my best friend at Duke. The rest of the day evolved into a night of bowling, and the rest of the weekend turned into a time I’ll never forget.

My BSAI experience came just days after an African American student had been harassed by a racist chant performed by a fraternity on campus. The community’s willingness to discuss the incident, and not shy away from it, was inspiring. The discussion of racial issues was something new to me, which I appreciated and was comforted by.

I am from a predominately white community where others recognizing my Blackness was almost unheard of. The best I got was a "Black History Month" prayer by our school’s resident nun. It wasn’t until I came to BSAI that I realized that there are people that actually look like me, think like me, and live the struggle like me. Finding that comfort solidified my decision to attend Duke.

I truly believe that without the opportunity to attend BSAI many students would not have the ability to experience what it is like to be on Duke's campus, and possibly not end up choosing to enroll at Duke. Allowing students to spend the weekend here greatly influences their decision to enroll at Duke. Being a top ten university, the majority of students that apply, and are accepted to Duke, also apply, and are accepted, to other top schools. The biggest deciding factor, in my opinion, in attending any institution, is the experience that one has on campus. I believe that the experience that one has at BSAI separates Duke from the rest.

I can never be anything less than grateful for the experience that BSAI provided me. It allowed me to establish a foundation on this campus. This foundation has flourished into a job as an Abele Ambassador at the Marylou Williams Center, and an active member of the black community on campus.

Alexandria Miller, History and African American Studies Major, class of 2017

As part of the Students of the Caribbean Association, we have been gearing up for our best Caribbean Awareness Week yet. This year, we’ll bring back returning treats like a traditional steel pan band and a Monday Motivations collaboration with the Center for Multicultural Affairs. This year will also bring about new traditions including a keynote speaker and will culminate with our annual Caribana festival. It goes without saying that Caribbean Awareness Week is, at least in my opinion, the most wonderful time of the year!
Being able to celebrate my Caribbean heritage has been one of the most significant attributes of my college experience. From our annual J’ouvert celebration till four in the morning, debating Caribbean politics, or discussing how society misinterprets new songs in our Caribbean dialects, there has been no greater family to me here than my fellow Caribbean and Caribbean-American friends here.

If you are from the Caribbean or just want to get to know more about Caribbean culture, I encourage you to join SOCA this year for Caribbean Awareness Week 2016 from Thursday, March 24th through Friday, April 1st this year and follow us on social media @DukeSOCA to stay up-to-date! There will be tons of food, great music, and even greater people! We hope to see you there!

In recent years, more and more Black women are wearing their natural hair unapologetically; and it’s beyond beautiful. After decades of straightening, chemically altering and manipulating our curls to fit a beauty standard that wasn’t ours, we have started to love and appreciate our curls, kinks and coils. Due to the positivity of this movement, many black women have also embraced their looks and learned to love themselves and recognize their beauty. There is more representation of Black women in media, and there are more cosmetic companies that cater to Black women. Due to the magnitude of this movement, Black women’s hair and appearance has become a highly politicized aspect of our lives.

One of these conversations is based on the professionalism (or lack thereof) of Black women’s hair. A little over a month ago, Lara Oddoffin had her job revoked because her braids were not “professional” enough. The company emailed her stating, “If you are unable to take them out I unfortunately won't be able to offer you any work.” Many other women have been criticized for sporting their natural curls and afros. How is the hair that grows out of my scalp not deemed acceptable? Why do I have to succumb to a white standard of beauty and professionalism to be accepted? Or even land a job? Why does my decision to wear my hair exactly the way it grows deemed “bold” or even considered a movement? Why does my hair somehow define me?

Despite the over politicized discussion of Black women’s hair, many people still embrace the natural hair movement. But, while there has been a lot of positive impact of the natural hair movement, we often fail to recognize the few failures of the movement.

Whether it is in media or on social network, whenever we’re appreciating and promoting the beauty of Black women, we tend to focus on women who are close in line with the white beauty standard. Women who have fairer skin, softer curls and thin figures are the ones most people think of when it comes to beauty in the Black community. We use Black celebrities to claim our celebration of Black beauty, when in reality, we somehow internalize and Idealize values for Eurocentric beauty standards even within our own community. Zola Ndlovy of wordpress.com perfectly puts it as, “In the economy that is black beauty, being light skinned is a social currency.” Or in this context, reflecting beauty standards that resemble white beauty standards is the social currency.

This is not even what is most problematic. The big issue is how we fail to see the diversity of our beauty. The fact that we differentiate between what constitutes an “acceptable” type of Black woman and what doesn’t, is a huge problem. The fact that we rarely see Black women who don’t have light skin, a thin figure, and “nice hair” just shows how narrow our society’s thinking is when it comes to the beauty of Black women. Phrases like “…cute for a black girl,” or “…too black” emphasize the negative stigma that already exists in the politicized world of Black beauty, yet they’re things we continue to hear day to day.

The challenge is to recognize the diverseness of Black women, while redefining what beauty means, and shifting it away from internalized hatred for our own physical features; it is knowing that if we say “black is beautiful”, we truly do mean all of our blackness is beautiful, not just the parts that look “acceptable”. After all, beauty is not hair, or skin or figure. Beauty is knowing one’s identity and self worth. Whether it is your natural curls, your kinky fro, or your relaxed hair, what constitutes your beauty is so much more than just the surface.

For any Black adult who has ever been to college, more than likely some of the pivotal snapshots of our college careers are linked to the events and programs that were held by members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). Whether it be one of their academic enrichment programs, neophyte presentations or infamous step shows and parties, we sometimes frame our college years around these unique African-American organizations. Too often though, we take these organizations and their many contributions for granted, seeing them as a prop to our collegiate experiences. But, what if we took the mundane seriously? What if black constructions of brotherhood and sisterhood were actually works of art? And, what if the traditions emanating from Black Greek letter organizations were also works of art too? As such, this two-part exhibit begs all of its onlookers to consider the NPHC experience in a way that elevates it to art. “Divine” asks us to consider NPHC interactions as art. “Movement” on the other hand, asks us to consider stepping as both iconography and artistic. Join me in a consideration of “Divine Movement.”

Black History Month 2016 has been one to remember. From Black Hollywood standing together through the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag to voice their discontentment with the lack of Black nominees for the second straight year, to Beyonce’s electric pro-Black performance at the Super Bowl, to Kendrick Lamar’s breathtaking performance at the Grammy’s as he vehemently rapped “The Blacker The Berry,” “Alright,” and an untitled track. However, I would be remised if I did not mention Kanye West’s contribution to the month, and ultimately my collegiate career.

This month Kanye West released his 7th studio album titled “The Life of Pablo”. West’s album was released in controversial fashion as he decided, last second, to make it only available through Tidal, and in doing made his project one of the most pirated albums of all time. However, if you have the chance to listen to the album you will be infatuated by it. What makes this realization so important is that West has now produced several albums that could be heralded as the album of someone’s undergraduate career. I thought I was going to get that with “Yeezus” but did not, although I do appreciate “Yeezus” for pushing musical boundaries. West definitely provided the soundtrack to my undergraduate career with “The Life of Pablo,” despite the fact that there is fewer than 80 days left for my undergraduate campaign.

How did this development occur? First you have to come to the realization that Kanye West isn’t the same conscious rapper from “College Dropout” or “Late Registration”. I do not consider it a fault against him; he just evolved as a rapper to stop talking about the collective “we” and started focusing on the all-important “me”. Second you have to come to terms with understanding that every artist does not need to be conscious. Kendrick Lamar does a phenomenal job of being the spokesperson for the trials and tribulations Black men face in his city of Compton, and using that as a microcosm for every ghetto across the country as it is relatable. Yet, every song on my iPod does not need to be a conscious one. Instead, I can listen to a song that relates to my current life situation, emotional state, etc. Third and the most important for me is Kanye West is so unapologetically Black. In his verse for A$AP Rocky’s “Jukebox Joints” he says, “They wanna throw me under a white jail, Cause I’m a Black man with the confidence of a white male, Hallelujah”. Kanye is most known for his narcissism, and I am perfectly fine with someone loving himself to that degree, but his passionate proclamations of Blackness are what caused me to never leave him as a fan.

His proclamations are abundant throughout “The Life of Pablo” along with many other sentiments. “Ultralight Beams” serves as a spiritual of sorts as he reiterates keeping one’s faith and realizing one’s mission in life, the outro by Kirk Franklin only bolsters the message sent here. In “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” if we look past the obscure model reference, who hasn’t wanted to feel liberated? I know those of us who are occupying a colligate space would love to be liberated. For “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 2” we see how work can cloud our family life and lead to major problems. In “Famous” Kanye tackles the alcohol-induced mistake that has been his claim to fame since 2009. We have all gained some acclaim for something we are not proud of. The track “Feedback” is all about not compromising your dreams for anyone else’s vision of what you should be doing. It is also about hustling and grinding. Hustling so hard that the people around you think you are out of your mind. For me that was junior year in a nutshell. The track “Lowlights” is a return to gospel! Gospel is always a plus. In “Highlights” we get a celebration of Kanye’s career and when you hear it you can’t help but think about your own accolades and future accomplishments. For “Freestyle 4” we see an ode to the wild thoughts we all have lurking in the depths of our minds. Here’s to not acting on inhibitions! The track “I Love Kanye” gives us this gem of a line: “And I love you like Kanye loves Kanye”. The song “Waves” is about losing someone, and we have all lost someone before. The emphasis is on the fact that because someone physically leaves your life, the feelings for them do not really go away. For “FML” Kanye tackles the concept of temptation. We all know temptation is real! And in a college setting temptation is all around you. Kanye reminds us here to remember how much work you put in to get what you have because it takes just one decision to lose it all. In “Real Friends”, probably the most college applicable song on the record, Kanye deep dives into relationships and how they change over time. This challenge is a feature in college life that is hard to avoid. Few people learn how to navigate through their colligate years while losing no friends. The track “Wolves” is an emotional track that follows up with “Real Friends” nicely because those friends you lose along the way become those Wolves that attack your character as an undergrad. For “30 Hours” West is talking about long distance relationships and relating this to college life can be a simple as going off campus and meeting someone at a party and now you have to make that trek every now and then. Not quite 30 hours I hope. The track “No More Parties in LA” tis self-explanatory, so if you’re in undergrad just don’t do it! In the track “Facts” Kanye is talking about letting those who slight you know that you can, and will, get the last laugh. “Fade”, the outro to the album is about feeling when someone is being fake and being cognizant of that feeling in all settings.

All in all, Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo” is a very relatable album as each track can be connected to a scenario of phase of one’s life. For me the album is most applicable to my undergraduate career so it is fitting to label the album as the soundtrack to my Duke Career. When I graduate and I sit back and reflect on my four years at Duke “The Life of Pablo” will be playing in my head. Thank you Kanye for giving sound to my once silent movie!

On October 23rd of this year, Duke University once again showed its true colors. A cowardly individual defaced a flyer that hung in White Lecture Hall that advertised an impending lecture by Black Lives Matter activist Patrice Cullors. The words “No Niggers” were written on the flyer for all to see, offering yet another warning to the Black students of Duke that they are not welcome on the University’s campus.

Upon hearing about the defacement of the flyer, and later seeing it with my own eyes, I was angry, but I was not in the slightest bit surprised. I thought back to the spring of that year, when I decided to attend Duke instead of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. I knew that in making that decision, I was placing myself in the midst of a significantly more racially polarized and tense environment. Yet, I forced myself to remember that racism is everywhere in this country; it simply varies in how explicitly it presents itself. I reminded myself of the resources and opportunities that would be at my disposal as a Duke student. I recalled my spiritual convictions – that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And with these things in mind, I took a leap of faith.

Almost immediately after I learned the poster had been defaced, I found myself recalling the conversation that I had had with my parents when I told them that I had made the decision to attend Duke. They, as any sane Black parent would be, were concerned following the noose incident that had occurred on campus just weeks before I made my decision. I told them that I would not allow the actions of racist ignoramuses to dictate the course I took with my education. I assured them that I would be fine. Yet, with the poster defacement, the seeming apathy of the Duke Administration to yet another racist act, and the countless offensive comments on anonymous social media platforms such as Yik Yak, I would be lying if I said that, at times, I didn’t find myself second-guessing my decision.

Attending Patrice Cullors’ event on October 28th re-affirmed that I had indeed made that the right decision in attending Duke. It wasn’t only Cullors’ speech itself that gave me this sense of assurance, however. It was the affinity – the shared sense of purpose that I felt with so many of my Black brothers and sisters that were sitting with me in the audience. I looked to the person sitting next to me, and saw one of my best friends from high school, Kalif Jeremiah. I looked to the person sitting in front of me, and saw the President of the Black Student Alliance, and one of my mentors here at Duke, Henry Washington. I looked around at my beautiful Black family, and realized that all of my brothers and sisters had, just like me, taken a leap of faith when deciding to attend Duke. I was sure that many of them had, like me, felt the same aching sense of disappointment and anger in their chests when yet another act of racial hatred and violence had occurred on their school’s campus. Yet, as we stood with one another, both literally and figuratively, and followed Cullors’ lead in shouting the words: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom!” and “We must love each other, and support each other!” I felt the aching pain in my chest quickly transform into a warm sense of joy and pride.

Every time that I look back on Patrice Cullors’ event, I am reminded that no matter how often racist ignoramuses attempt to silence the voices and suffocate the spirits of Black and Brown people, both here at Duke and around the country, they would not succeed. We will continue to fight for our freedom with megaphones to our mouths, with conviction in our eyes, and with passion in our hearts. In times of doubt, we must think back to the shared leaps of faith that we took when deciding to spend four years at this deeply flawed institution in Durham, North Carolina. And we must allow that very same conviction to guide us as we continue to fight the good fight for social justice.

As I look out my office window, I have the privilege of seeing our students walking (and rushing) by between classes, meals, meetings and study venues. So many things are apparent on the rare occasion that I get to just pause and admire the passersby. I notice that many seem either immune to the winter chill or in denial about the need to wear warmer clothes! I notice that rarely is anyone walking alone. Students travel in pairs, groups and masses! I notice that some kind of technological device is apparently welded to their ears or their palms (hopefully talking or texting with you). But, I also notice how remarkably different they are, reflecting the substantial and wonderful diversity within the Duke student body.

It’s always such a joy to acknowledge and celebrate Duke’s successful efforts to recruit students from the various racial, ethnic and international communities we strive to represent. But, events of this past year – both on and off campus – have challenged us to examine the Duke culture and experiences that foster and inhibit the development of a truly inclusive and supportive campus community. As most of you know, we’ve experienced incidents that have called into question Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion and have stimulated, in concert with national attention to incidents and issues, reflection on what policies, practices and educational efforts might minimize the victimization of members of our community and support the development of an ideal culture and environment…one where every student feels safe, supported and respected.

Over the rest of the spring semester, the President’s Task Force on Bias and Hate will work to find best practices that might address these concerns. Additionally, meetings are being held with students who represent the various demands that you’ve undoubtedly read or heard about. There’s work to be done, and I assure you that the Duke community is up for the challenge. I encourage you to read more about this ongoing work.

Let me close on a personal note. Our students are just terrific. Overall, what they ask for is reasonable and responsible and supported by compelling arguments and passionate pleas. Lest you think I or my administrative colleagues are troubled by this ‘activism’, I remind you that many of us are ‘children of the 60’s” (ok…and some 70’s and 80’s) and eager to support student voices and initiatives. The Duke campus is lively and energetic, as it should be and, though we have much work to do, it is truly a labor of love.